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The environmental impact from the use of fossil fuels and the uncertainties in their sources of supply has led to many alternative energy sources being proposed and investigated. However, of the non-fossil fuel sources, only nuclear fission power is at present sufficiently developed to provide an economically viable alternative to fossil fuels.

The aim of this programme – which began in 1956 – is to provide the necessary background, both in breadth and in depth, for anyone wishing to enter the nuclear industry. The areas of study and degree of specialisation involved have changed considerably to reflect the increasing sophistication of the field, and yet the overall breadth of the course has been maintained, because we feel that only in this way can new entrants to the field obtain a perspective which will be of continuous help in future careers.

Studentships are sponsored by the nuclear industry in the UK, and these provide excellent and effective entry routes into careers in this stimulating field for physicists, mathematicians, metallurgists or engineers.

A taught element from September to May is followed by a 14-week project, usually undertaken within the industry.

B-9. Core Physics and Multiplying Media 1, (5 lectures)

Significance of neutrons: The Curve of Binding Energy and its Relation to Fission and Fusion, Number Densities, Cross sections, and Mean Free Paths; Theory of fission: Resonances, The Fission Barrier, The Semi-Empirical Mass Formula, Energy release from Fission; IntroductoryReactor physics and kinetics: Simple Ideas of Reactor Criticality, The Four Factor Formula, Delayed Neutrons. 1-Group Diffusion and the Graphite Stack (An experiment in the Laboratory)

B-12. Environmental impact of nuclear power (4 lectures)

Sources of activity from the nuclear fuel cycle: discharges from fuel production plants, nuclear power stations and reprocessing plants during operation and decommissioning. Dispersal of radioactive material and radiological consequences of the Chernobyl and other reactor accidents; comparison with other accidents. Nuclear waste disposal: role of BNFL and NIREX in the UK; current operations and future plans for handling radioactive waste.

C-15. Reactor Systems and Safety Analysis (28 lectures)

Economics of nuclear power: Breakdown of cost and factors affecting it. Comparison with fossil-fuelled plant. World-wide distribution of the reactors and their relative advantages and disadvantages. Possible future developments. Graphite moderated reactors: Magnox reactors: Factors affecting choice of fuel, cladding and moderator. Materials and safety factors affecting temperature and performance. Overall factors affecting thermal efficiency. Emergency shut-down and core-cooling plant. Effects of depressurisation accident. Consequences of on-load refuelling. Steel oxidation. AGRs: Ways in which this reactor overcomes the limitations of Magnox systems. Differences in design arising from different fuel and higher gas temperatures. Fuel and moderator design and performance; radiolysis and graphite corrosion. Emergency shut-down systems. HTGRs: Construction of fuel microspheres and core layout. Fission product retention. Temperature limitations and possible use for process heat plant. Water moderated reactors: PWRs: Main features of plant, including layout and containment. Reactivity control with chemical shims, the Chemical and Volume Control System. Power defect and load-following. Consideration of safety of thick steel vessels. Auxiliary shut-down and emergency core-cooling plant. Loss-of-coolant accidents. Radiolysis and zirconium interaction with water. The Sizewell B design. Use of MOX in PWR plant. BWRs: Differences between PWR and BWR systems and effects on performance and safety e.g. effect of steam on design and operation. Emergency core cooling. Primary containment philosophy. CANDU and SGHWR: Similarities and differences between the two systems. Advantages of use of D2O and of pressure tube designs; fabrication and problems of pressure tubes. Emergency core cooling. Uranium utilisation.

Other reactor systems: Graphite-moderated but water cooled reactors (e.g. the RBMK, Chernobyl type). Mixed oxide fuels. Fast breeder reactors: Possible breeding cycles. Factors affecting choice of fuel and coolant. Design features arising from use of liquid sodium. Effect of sodium voiding. Overall plant layout. Special instrumentation. Doubling time and breeding ratio. Reactor safety: Methodology of event-tree and fault-tree analysis. Statistical data on component failure rates. Safety related engineering studies. The role of the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and concepts of Tolerability of Risk. Problem of human intervention. Dispersion analysis; effects of weather, siting and population distribution. Role of instrumentation; redundant logic and fail-safe systems. Discussion of main features and conclusions of the Rasmussen Report. Analysis of the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl accidents.

C-16. Nuclear Fuel Cycle (4 lectures)

Production of Magnox and AGR fuel from "yellow cake": Chemistry of the steps involved in the operations at the Springfields plant (UK). Nuclear fuel enrichment, theory of cascade processes. Reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel: basic chemistry involved in the processes at the Sellafield works (UK) including THORP; outline of other methods such as fluid -bed volatilization. At the heart of reprocessing in BNFL's THORP reprocessing plant, Sellafield.

D-22. Industrial Lecturer Series (10 seminars)

This series draws on industrial speakers to cover specialised topics of interest (examples include decommissioning, reactor circuit chemistry and stress analysis) to give details of how current problems in materials, safety and design are being tackled, and to give some insight into the structure and mode of operation of the nuclear industry. The organisations providing speakers usually include Nuclear Electric, Magnox Electric, BNFL, National Nuclear Corporation and Rolls Royce and Associates.

Laboratory Courses: In addition to these lectures, there are two experimental laboratory courses, a 'theoretical laboratory' in numerical analysis and computing, and a group exercise to emphasise teamwork. Further details are as follows:

E-23. Physics Laboratory (120 hours in the Lab.)

The physics laboratory course, occupying one day per week for two terms, is designed to complement lectures, to stimulate discussion on theoretical principles and is related, as far as possible, to the background of the students concerned. The general fields covered include:

1. the behaviour of different detector systems
2. the properties, production and use of radioactive materials
3. neutron slowing down, diffusion and multiplication, and
4. neutron and gamma ray behaviour in shields.

The facilities available in the MSc laboratory for these studies are extensive, including hyperpure germanium, surface-barrier and scintillation detectors, gas proportional and Geiger counters, dosimetry equipment, and neutron moderating assemblies. Computer controlled multi-channel analysers are used for data taking and computational facilities are provided for data analysis, graphics, word-processing and FORTRAN programming; direct network links provide communication with other resources on campus and via the internet.

E-24. Physical Metallurgy Laboratory (12 hours)

Study of the basic structures of metals and alloys using optical microscopy. Deformation and dislocation etch-pitting of LiF crystals. Measurement of the plane strain fracture toughness of an alloy steel. Introduction to transmission electron microscopy; electron damage.

E-25. Computational and Numerical Analysis (45 hours)

Students undertake a course in numerical analysis and computation, during which design studies are made. Involved in the numerical analysis are the techniques of numerical integration and differentiation, curve fitting and function approximation; polynomial representation. (Taylor's and Tchebychev's expansions). Finite-differences and Runge-Kutta methods in solving differential equations, error estimates; approximate integration methods and error estimates. Applications in radiation transport particularly including Monte Carlo Methods. Practical exercises and demonstrations are carried out. The computing element provides an introduction to the facilities available in the laboratory which include word processing, spreadsheets and graphics packages. Emphasis is given to programming in FORTRAN.

E-26. One-day exercise on Nuclear Power Safety

Students are set a problem; they then have one day to organise themselves to tackle it systematically, identify a solution, and to present a report. A member of staff from the industry is usually available to provide advice and feedback at the end of the session.

E-27. Seminar

During the Spring Term all students on the course present a 50 minute seminar on some topic of their own choice within the general field of "energy". This is assessed by the course supervisor as part of the overall assessment relating to the course; however both he and the remainder of the course provide feedback to the student so that the exercise can be used as a means of developing good presentational skills. [NB writing skills are also practised in the tutorial classes]

F-28. Project

During June to September a project is undertaken; for sponsored students this is usually at one of the sponsor's sites. In recent years it has also been possible to arrange industrially based projects for other students as well. The report on the project forms an important component in the assessment for the course.

Learning and teaching

In common with most MSc courses, for the first eight months of the course there are lectures and laboratory classes. Following the examinations in May there is a three month research project, chosen from a wide range of topics within the field.

This project may be conducted at the University or, more frequently, arrangements can be made for this to be undertaken at an establishment within the nuclear industry. This has proved to be a popular option in recent years both in giving students an opportunity to collaborate directly with a part of the industry and in enhancing their employment prospects.

Tutorials

These take place weekly throughout term time, where small-group discussions help to ensure that the material covered in lectures and practical classes is being properly assimilated by the students. Any individual problems encountered by a student in his or her course work may also be raised by them during these tutorials. As the course progresses practice is given in answering examination-style questions and other types of problem. In addition, writing and information gathering skills are practised through the production of essays, while open discussion of the results within a tutorial class permits exercising of powers of interpretation and analysis. The course is introduced to the facilities in the Library, including its bibliographic resources and networks and this knowledge is also practised through tutorial exercises.

Visits

Throughout the academic year visits are made to a variety of nuclear establishments. These usually include a visit to a nuclear power station, BNFL's Springfields and Sellafield works, and to an AEA Technology site. In addition, one day is spent at a training reactor where several experiments on reactor kinetics are performed.

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